Dead Fish
by Swordquill71
Summary: At the end of the season 9 finale one of the last shots is Tony and Ziva together in an elevator. The two of them are stuck in there for a while. Who gets out alive? Spoilers up to and including Season 9 Finale Till Death Do Us Part .
1. Hour 1

Dead Fish

**Author's Note: **First, spoiler alert for all NCIS episodes up to and especially the season 9 finale, Till Death Do Us Part. Second, I am a huge Tony and Ziva fan so if you're not I don't think that this story is for you but that is your call.

**Summary:** Tony and Ziva stuck in an elevator. What could be a better cliffhanger?

_**Hour 1**_

Ziva woke up with a start. She was confused and she hated being confused. She gripped her gun and observed her surroundings. She appeared to be an elevator with Tony. The memories were flowing back to her, Harper Dearing and the bomb scare. She poked Tony to see if he was awake.

Tony felt a poke and woke up with a jolt. He noticed that the elevator had stopped moving. He moved his head slightly and saw Ziva with not one but two guns in hand and looking dangerously alert.

"Tony, are you okay?"

"Yeah, what happened?"

"It appears that the elevator has stopped working."

"I got that part Ziva. I mean what is up with Dearing situation?"

"It would appear that the elevators are affected either the lockdown or the bomb explosion. Either way we are stuck here."

Tony sighed. If the building was in full lockdown then it would be at least six hours before the power would come back on. If Harper's plan actually worked then… well Tony didn't really want to think about what was next. This was not a good day for him. He thought again, perhaps today was the day that he and Ziva would finally have the conversation that they'd been putting off for years.

"Tony why are you looking at me like that?"

Tony didn't even realize that he was looking at Ziva until she was yelling in his face.

"Like what?"

"Like, well never mind."

If Ziva was going to have to spend the next few hours in here with Tony she was going to go mad. It was a good thing that she still packed like a Mossad agent, which meant enough food for twenty-four hours. She began to spread out her food and do an inventory check just in case Tony decided to sneak food from her backpack. Then, she took a nap.

Tony had never noticed it but Ziva was really cute when she slept. Normally he wouldn't use cute but it fit the situation. Ziva looked peaceful and sweet well until you see the gun in her hands. While Ziva slept like an angel holding a Glock, Tony had been thinking about something his old partner, Kate had once said to him. Kate once said that Tony was scared of the things that he couldn't conquer physically. Perhaps that was why this Harper Dearing case kept him on edge.

Ziva wasn't really sleeping. She slept for all of ten seconds. Ziva just wasn't ready to accept that she was trapped in an elevator with Tony. She probably could and should get more slumber but she was scared. The weren't many things on the planet that could scare Ziva David but the fact that something could happen to anyone on the team especially Tony scared the hell out of her. For some reason she always had a special attachment to her partner. It could be that Tony was very similar to her or maybe she was simply attracted to him.

"Ziva, it's hot in here."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"I'm not complaining for my sake, it is for yours."  
"Mine?"  
"You're perspiring insanely. If you took off say your shirt you would be cooler."

"Is this really the time? People could be dying."

"Then you should make every moment worth it. All you need is ask."

"One more comment like that and you are dead fish."  
"It's dead meat. Meat. Meat. Meat. Meat."  
"Forgive me I speak five languages I get…"

"Confused. Got that. Now shut up."

"Why should I?"

Tony rolled his eyes. He leaned over to Ziva and kissed her.


	2. Hour 2

**Dead Fish**

**Author's Note:** First, spoiler alert for all NCIS episodes up to and especially the season 9 finale, Till Death Do Us Part.

**Plot Note: **The kiss was a really long one. How long? Well, Ziva would like to know too….

Hour 2

Ziva nearly killed herself when she finally pulled away but she knew she had to. This was not the time nor the place. The cameras could be on and well they were in the middle of a terrorist attack.

"Tony, um uh."

"Is the great Ziva who speaks five languages finally at a lost for words?"

"Security cameras. Gibbs. International Terrorists. Bombs, Again, Gibbs!"

"Oh, yeah."

"If he finds out we will be in hot fire."

"Water. Hot water Ziva. You really need to work on idioms, you've been here for a while now."

"DiNozzo don't change the subject."

"Fine. What if I tell you that I don't care."

"Then I'll tell you that your brain must be messed up from the lack of oxygen."  
"Ziva, I'm not the only one who is not thinking straight. Hypothetically of course. If you're so concern about our oxygen why didn't you say so?"

Ziva opened her mouth but found that she couldn't speak because the senior field agent had placed his finger over her lips. He then began to take out a knife that she didn't even know he had and began to cut little out little holes on the roof of the elevator.

"Anthony DiNozzo, you are defacing public property and since when were you that tall?"  
"That is what you ask Ziva? How tall I am?"

"No I asked since…"  
"Okay, I get the point. But, subsection B states…"

"Stop it! If you change the subject one more time you will finally find out one of the eighteen ways I can kill you with a paper clip."

"Alright, so about the thing I did earlier…"

Tony stopped suddenly and Ziva picked up a paper clip and poked him with it but she soon stopped when she heard a voice.

"I'd hate to break up your couples therapy but, I thought you'd like to know that you're gonna be stuck there for a while so we're lowing food down the holes that DiNozzo created since it looks like you're gonna be there for a while."

Tony's eyes widened. How did Gibbs see everything? Tony always thought that his boss was alien or something.

"And Tony, remember the cameras are still on. They run on a back up generator."

**AN: Sorry for not updating I've been super busy. School is out so I should be updating more frequently soon. To be answered in the next chapter: Why can't Ziva get the phrases straight?**


	3. Hour 3

**Dead Fish **

**Author's Note: **Spoiler Alerts for pretty much every N.C.I.S. episode ever made especially "Till Death Do Us Part"

Hour 3

Tony's brain was still reeling from the Gibbs interruption. Tony had really wanted to do something about the whole Ziva predicament. He felt like he and Ziva had been skirting around their relationship forever. He thought that the kiss would set them in the direction of at least talking about it. He was actually pretty shocked that she hadn't been more persistent about the kiss.

Ziva had no idea why she wouldn't just confront Tony about the kiss. She kept giving herself stupid excuses. This isn't the time. Gibbs is watching. But, they were NCIS agents, when did they ever have time to just relax? And they were on Gibbs' team so he would always be watching. A big part of Ziva was scared of what could happen. She and Tony were both rotten at relationships. Ziva was soon tossed out of her thoughts by Gibbs' voices echoing down the shaft.

"DiNozzo and Ziva it looks we have problem."

"Another?" Tony whispered while smirking at his partner.

"Yes, another Tony. McGee has informed me that Dearing did something that screwed around with the elevators more than we thought. What did he do again McGee?"

"Hey guys its McGee. In about two minutes the entire elevator system is going to go in Code Red. Along with the rest of the building."

"The Director is ordering that everybody be evacuated if possible," There was a note of bitterness in the way that Gibbs said ordered, "meaning everyone, everyone. Typically I'd say screw him but he intends to do so with force. But believe me I will come back for you. We are taking care of getting as much food, first aid and air down to you to. We will come back to you."

"Thanks, boss." The duo said it together causing them both to blush.

"Semper fidelis*, you two are fine just don't kill each other. See ya for dinner."

Ziva refused to get nervous. Perhaps this code red lockdown was really a blessing in secret. She glanced over at Tony. He didn't seem to think so at all. Tony was organizing all the stuff that Gibbs had sent down. His faced looked calm but his hands were shaking. Ziva walked over and placed her hands on top of his and smiled.

"Ziva, why are you smiling? We are stuck in the middle of a plot courtesy of an NCIS most wanted."

"Every tree has a silver lining."

"Ziva seriously. It's cloud. Get lessons or something. Do you like me correcting you or something?"

Ziva didn't answer but the smile she had on her face should've been an indicator. Just in case the senior agent didn't get the message she leaned over to him and kissed him on the lips.

**Author's Note: ***This is the Marines motto meaning always faithful. To my reviewers :_Thanks for pointing that out._


	4. Hour 4

**Dead Fish**

Author's Note: Spoiler Alerts for pretty much every N.C.I.S. episode ever made especially "Till Death Do Us Part." Some language in this chapter but nothing worse than what you would hear on the show.

Hour 4

Tony broke away from the kiss and his head was going a million miles an hours. He didn't bother to check to see if everyone had evacuated the building. He observed the beautiful women in front of him. She had a smile on her face. Perhaps it was lack of air in the lift but Ziva appeared to be glowing with her hair down just right.

Ziva began to frown. Something was wrong. Tony wasn't even facing her. Was the kiss really that bad? She had always assumed that he had showed interest in her. Well as much as she had in him. She always that every joke and every smile was Tony's way of flirting with her. Was she wrong? Maybe he was joking with her like he did with McGee. She just thought that there was something there. He went all the way to save her didn't he? So did Gibbs and he doesn't love you like that said annoying part of her brain.

"I am tired of pretending!" Ziva screamed before she even realized that she had said it. She remembered how three years ago she had uttered those exact words in this exact elevator. Back then there had been a politics at play but secretly she knew that those five words were supposed to take on the meaning that she needed them to take on today.

Tony turned around and smiled. Was it finally happening? Once of them had finally decided that they were done screwing around and playing relationship chicken. Tony was really glad that his partner had used the words she had because they were fitting to the situation. Then Tony noticed how Ziva's lower lip was trembling.

"Well, Tony if you…." Ziva trailed off looking embarrassed.

"Oh, god Ziva. I am tired of pretending as well. Ziva David you are one of the strongest and most amazing women that I've ever met. You are independent and don't care what others think of you. As Abby says 'You kick but and look great doing it.' She is totally right! And I recall an occasion where you…"

"DiNozzo. David." The voice of Leon Vance rang down the shaft. "I have removed the Code Red and would be ever so grateful if the two of you wouldn't mind helping to ease the chaos up hear. I'm turning on the power again. Also, not that I heard any of that but I wouldn't tell Gibbs that you're breaking rule twelve."

The power whirled on and the partners smiled at each other and fixed up the small mess that they (mostly Tony) had made in the elevator.

"Ziva. You and me are getting dinner tonight."

"Tony!" Ziva said as he left the elevator.

"Yeah?"

"I think that I'm falling to you."

Tony smiled but didn't correct her. Instead he silently whispered "for."

Author's Note: So here's to the last chapter of Dead Fish. I'm doing an epilogue and then possibly a sequel series but more on that next chapter. Thoughts on this chapter?


	5. Epilogue Mini Chapter

Dead Fish

Author's Note: Spoiler Alerts for pretty much every N.C.I.S. episode ever made especially "Till Death Do Us Part."

2 Weeks Later:

Tony and Ziva had agreed that they wouldn't tell anyone about their relationship. They thought it was for best that it stay a secret. They left at separate times and only met up long after work. They thought that no one noticed. McGee seemed to smirk in their direction but they thought nothing of it. As for as anyone knew rule number 12 left unbroken.

AN: This was a short chapter. For those looking for more details I'm going to do a companion series called **Breaking Rule No. 12** in the next couple of days…


	6. Extended Scene Mini Chapter

Dead Fish: Extended Scene

Tony and Ziva seemed to be navigating their new relationship well. In fact they navigated it so well that they decided to do something "For the good of NCIS agents everywhere," as Tony had said. They began to draft a guide for the brave souls that decided to brave breaking rule number twelve.

It began as a joke. Ziva claimed Tony never actually wrote anything worth while besides case files. He argued that case files weren't worth a damn. She bought a notebook and told him to write. He wanted to create a video dairy about their relationship. The ex-Mossad agent said that she wouldn't become a reality star. The senior field agent claimed to be shocked at the fact that Ziva knew what reality tv was. So it was created, _Breaking Rule No. 12: The Field Guide to an NCIS relationship. _

**Author's Note:** Hi guys, as mentioned in my last chapter I am doing a spin off series since I really like writing with these two characters. Click on my profile page to find it the title is "Breaking Rule No 12". Note that the new series is a stronger T rating than this series. However, there is nothing in there that wouldn't be on the show.


End file.
